a rack construction journal, a journey of elastoplasts and splinters

[loxocemus]

im going to make a new rack, not because i need one, but because im insanely bored and i bought a new drill bit

il add to this thread as i go along, adding notes, pics whatever as the materials arrive. forgive me if i point of the obvious on some points but to some newer keepers they may not be that obvious.

the most important part of any rack is the tub/box/tray, everything else is just the support services to make these plastic boxes into a home fit for the animal.

this rack will be 6 levels, 8 boxes total, 4 large and 4 medium.

these are the medium's




these have a "card pocket" which is insanely well attached by superman snot or something

[loxocemus]

these boxes are approx 24" x 18" x 7", the end with the card holder will be the end for the air vents, the plain other end will be the window opening, cover all the work space in masking tape (u can use a pen but sometimes getting it off is a nightmare)

but first, remove that card thingy


masking tape lovelyness


the only essential things u need to know is the exact middle of the box face, which on a tapered box can be tricky, but using either the top edge or bottom surface as ur reference a square will get you this


the position and size of the hole to be cut is obviously quite important, these medium boxes will have one vent, wheras the larger size will have 2. height from the bottom - make the hole above ur substrate level if possible as this will stop substrate particles from falling through and collecting behind the tray, its not a great problem just annoying



this is a 70mm hole using a 70mm holesaw and 70mm soffit vents, they have a very tight fit and could be left as such, as thier fitted into the inside face any pushing by the snake will only tighten the fit, i am, however going to give each vent just a little tickle of 2 part epoxy.

[loxocemus]

the front end is very similar but needs more of that math, again, the height above the substrate so ur not staring at more aspen than snake. it can be any shape, size, u can have 1 or 2, the window itself is usually acrylic, but this time il be using 5mm glass, as its more scratch resistant.

70mm hole either end for the curve


i use one of these to cut the window out, u can use a power tool like a jigsaw or dremel but this material melts very easily so be careful




then spend sometime with a medium semi/round file and some sandpaper to get the lines to where ur happy with them.

thats it for this part, nxt up will be the larger boxes and fitting the glass windows and final vent placement i think. i havent decided on the rack material yet, maybe oak or mahogany if i can get enough.

rgds
edward

[tonkaz0]

Thats going to be cracking when you`ve done, keep up the good work! where did you get those boxes? never thought of putting a little window in!, bloody good idea,

[loxocemus]

hi and thankyou, the boxes came from this guy HEAVY DUTY PLASTIC PLANTING TRAYS - VARIOUS SIZES CHEAP on eBay (end time 10-Dec-09 09:32:57 GMT)

i got 8 for £60 delivered.

rgds
ed

Originally Posted by tonkaz0

Thats going to be cracking when you`ve done, keep up the good work! where did you get those boxes? never thought of putting a little window in!, bloody good idea,

[loxocemus]

i also thought id mention i will be selling my current rack once this new one is complete and running, obviously i cant say exactly when but it will be soonish, local to glasgow preferably as its quite heavy, will come with lighting on the 4 levels and each box has its own digital thermometer, all u need is ur own stat and pads, it will be £150. it also has its own base on casters, so u can wheel it about, i covered the entire inside, bottoms, sides, backs the lot in adhesive plastic, so its virtually waterproof, i covered the top in a sheet of formica (the surface used on kitchen countertops) so i could use it as a work surface and so that i could sterilise it. i trimmed out the rack in hardwood to make it far more durable, thats about it i think, heres some pics











remember its still in use, but pm if u may be interested, ur welcome to come round and see it in action

rgds
edward

[iangreentree]

as ever mate very very good mate

[loxocemus]

the four medium finished awaiting windows, im probably going to use a permanent double sided tape to attach them, not sure yet



the larger 36x24 size, they flex/warp quite a bit, im not sure how this will affect things yet


large windows again minus glass



because of thier large size plus the substrate, which for sunbeams includes about 8 litres of water in the eco earth it makes them very heavy, a solution is to use these




they are full extension drawer runners, they can support 45kgs/100lbs each and extend all the way, in this case 600mm, they are very expensive though but they have a nice action via bearings and split in 2 via a lever. there will be issues with the heating as well, because the box will be suspended above them and the box material being quite flexible it all leads to finicky size issues, to avoid this i may attach the heating to the box itself and the box will clear the shelf below, this way there should be very free movement, but i havent tried this before so it will be interesting.

when buying castors, dont go cheap, if one breaks think of whats involved to replace it, u have to get below a completely active stack that weighs a friggin ton, these ones are rated at something silly like four billion tons each or something.



i detest this stage of building, feels like u have been doing it for ages and the finish is still a long way off.

mr sausage, he better appreciate all my efforts.



rgds
edward

[loxocemus]

iv decided to make the frame from 25.4 aluminium tube, it works out more expensive than timber but its much easier to break down and should be a lot more durable.

costs
Qty. Product Unit Price Total
12 Aluminium Square Tube (6063T6) 1 in x 1 in x 16 swg x 2500 mm £3.87 £46.49
24 4 Way Connector (Type 4) £1.86 £44.60
4 3 Way Connector (Type 2) £1.70 £6.80
4 Castor with Metal Threaded Insert £1.48 £5.92
2 5 Way Connector (Type 6) £2.07 £4.14
4 3 Way Connector (Type 3) £1.87 £7.48
1 Hi-Viz Hacksaw £2.61 £2.61

i think altogether it was @ £160 delivered.

ed

[Reptilover]

That's like SO AMAZING!

Really really really really impressed with your construction skills, i mean WOW.